Jonathon Porritt: a message for ‘ordinary’ people and those elected to represent and serve them

In ‘The World We Made’, to be launched tomorrow, Jonathon Porritt – one of the world’s leading environmentalists – sets out to counter the doom and gloom that surrounds today’s debates about sustainability.

Instead of portraying the future as a polluted, over-populated hell-hole, he shows it as a place where we’d all love to live., through the words of Alex McKay, a history teacher, who looks back to see how we got from where we are now to that world in 2050.

A compelling picture of a truly sustainable world is presented:

A world in which 90% of our energy comes from renewable sources, and 30% of our electricity from solar power

A world in which young people have forced radical changes on governments acting against the interests of all future generations

A world in which military expenditure peaked in 2017, and has been declining ever since

A world in which nanotechnology, 3D printing and biomimicry have transformed manufacturing

A world in which personal genomics allow everyone to manage their own health, live longer and healthier, and die when they want to

A world in which there are still rich and poor, but the rich are poorer but happier, and the poor are richer in so many ways.

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Some responses

“Jonathon Porritt has found both the facts and the spirit required for imagining the future!” Bill McKibben

“Jonathon Porritt’s book dreams big, as if our future depends on it. And it does.” Richard Branson

“I loved it! It should be compulsory reading for all students and beyond – particularly the politicians. And I love Alex, your voice from 2050. But above all, I love the reassurance that there is a bright and sustainable future ahead of us if we start now.” Joanna Lumley

“Revealing the gift in the arms of the problem, Jonathon Porritt beautifully shows how your applied hope, fearless action, and relentless patience can turn the world we inhabit into the world we envision.” Amory Lovins